Friday, 4 July 2014

Nancy grabbed David's arm and pulled. David
didn’t resist but he was slow and stumbling. He had never been particularly athletic
and the days spent in the forest without food had taken their toll. They
followed Nukka and Amka at David’s shambling pace putting as much distance as
possible between themselves and the ravine.

They are still in the valley, Nukka said.

What are they? Why do they want David? Nancy asked
silently not wanting David to overhear.

They are sprits. They seek the souls of unguided humans.
David would feed them for many years.

Nancy’s horror formed a knot in
her throat and she clung to a tree to steady herself. ‘Okay,’ she muttered, ‘he’s
a spoilt brat, but does that mean I can let a pack of… creatures feed off his
soul?’

David threw himself to the ground
his breath rasping in his throat. Amka circled above him.

If we can get him back to the passing-stone before they
catch us then yes, he will be safe, Nukka said.

She dreaded the answer but had to
ask, And if not?

Then only his own guide can protect him.

‘But he can’t see her!’ she snapped.

‘Can’t see who? Who you talking
to, sis?’ David
gasped.

Nancy rounded on him. ‘I’ve told
you not to call me that. I’m not your ‘sis’. And for your information was
talking to Nukka about a pack of sprits, whose only goal in life it seems is to
eat your soul, slowly.’ She took guilty pleasure in seeing his watery-blue eyes
widen in horror.

‘You’re lying!’

‘It seems if we can’t get you
back to the passing-stone before they catch up, then your only hope is Amka,
who, since you insulted and rejected her, you can no longer see.’

‘But…’

‘Get up and run.’

He did as he was told.

It seemed to take forever to
reach the edge of the forest. They paused and she looked up the bare hillside
to the place she had met Nukka. It was close and hope swelled. She grabbed David’s
arm as he began to sink onto the grass.

‘Oh, no you don’t. Come on, run.’

David leaned over and retched. ‘I
can’t,’ he gasped, ‘need to breath, just for a minute.’

Nancy looked about her. The sun
shone onto the open hillside. Amka circled in the warm air above them. Nukka, a
few paces ahead, looked back at them.

‘Okay, you have ten seconds.
Start breathing.’

Before David’s ten seconds were
up, Nukka and Amka’s warning exploded in her head. She grabbed David’s arm and
tried to yank him to his feet.

David’s breath rasped in his
throat. ‘No, Nancy, please, you said ten…’

A wild screeching echoed through
the forest behind them.

She thumped him, hard. ‘David if you
want to hang onto your miserable soul you had better run.’

He looked up at her, his stricken
face purple and slick with sweat. ‘I can hear them. They’re coming; you’ve got
to help me.’ His eyes were wide with terror.

‘I’ve told you! I can’t help you,
Nukka can’t help you. Only Amka could have helped you. All you can do now is get
to the stone and leave.’ She pulled on his arm. ‘Run, you lump of lard.’

David struggled to his feet. After
a few stumbling steps he collapsed, sobbing. ‘I can’t, Nancy, I can’t. Please,
I can’t run anymore.’

Nancy looked back at the forest. Countless
small crouching figures crept from the shadow of the trees. Their shapeless
bodies seemed to shift and change in the pall of dark smoke which hung about
them. They were cautious now, looking up at the sun and back to the sobbing boy
as if calculating their chances. Nukka and Amka put themselves between the
creeping forms and David, but the sprits seemed to have no interest in the
guides at all.

Nancy pulled harder, ‘David if
you don’t get up right this second then you are worse than dead,’ she screeched.
‘If you won’t do it for me then think of Posy. She’ll be upset, really, really
upset, believe me, I know.’

Sobbing, David began to crawl.
The sprits spread out, surrounding him cutting him off from the crossing-stone.
Cold swept through Nancy as the sprits closest to Nukka passed through his body
as if he were smoke.

‘Amka, you have to help,’ she
yelled.

Amka landed close by.

I can’t help unless David accepts me.

‘Accepts you? How can he? He
can’t even see you, you damn stupid feathered…’

The sprits were moving closer as
if sensing their moment of victory might be slipping away.

‘David, can you see her,’ she
snapped.

David reached toward Nancy with a
shaking hand. ‘Yes, yes, I see her.’

‘Then for heaven’s sake tell her
you need her. If I can Change to go find you then you can admit you were wrong,
damn it.’

Nancy was barely able to hear the
whispered, ‘Amka, you were right, please, please help me.’

Furious the sprits dived toward
them, Nancy threw herself over David only to be tipped off him a second later
when he swore and pushed her away. The sprits’ shrieks of triumph turned into
screams of rage as they dissolved in the warm air leaving trails of smoky
vapour behind them. Nukka’s triumphant howl filled the hillside. Nancy flopped back
onto the grass and flung her arms wide.

‘Damn, David, that was close.’ She
sat up and glared at him. ‘Do you realize how close? Can you imagine what it
would have been like if I had to go home without you? You have no idea how
unbearable your mother has been these past few days. Can I just say, if you are
going to be a member of this family you have got to promise you will never,
ever disappear again. I don’t think I could stand it if…’

‘Nancy, get a grip.’ David said
still engrossed in Amka as if seeing her for the first time. Then not even
sparing a glance in Nancy’s direction, he got shakily to his feet and tottered
up the hill.’

‘Well, you ungrateful…’

‘And don’t ever try to hug me
again.’

‘Hug you? Me?’

‘Are you coming or not, because
you know, now I have Amka, you’re sort of redundant.’

Nancy gaped at him, ‘This isn’t
over by a long chalk, David,’ she yelled after him. ‘You owe me. I saved your
life.’

‘Amka saved me, not you.’

Nancy spluttered in disbelieve at
David’s retreating back. ‘Only so your mother can kill you when you get home,’ she
screeched after him.

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Yesterday I was honoured to receive First Prize in the Alan Place Memorial Short Story Competition with my Short Story 'CHANGE'. Alan was a much admired and valued member of The Write Stuff writers group based at Seaham. The awards were presented in the fantastic new Seaham Library. It was a great day in which I and my fellow winners were made to feel very welcome. Thank you for all the hard work the organisers had obviously gone to to make it such a memorable day.

CHANGE

Winner of the Alan Place Memorial
Short Story Competition July 2014

by

Maureen Murrish

Part 1

Her stepmother’s sobs drifted up the
stairs. Nancy could hear her father’s soothing voice as he tried to comfort her.
Nancy closed the bedroom door. It shut out the sounds of grief but not the
feelings of guilt. Dropping onto a stool she stared in the dressing table
mirror and began a one sided conversation with her reflection.

‘You warned him. You told him not
to follow you. Told him he didn’t know what he was doing, but, as usual, David
knew best. If he’s… stuck, then it’s his own fault.’

Picking up the hairbrush she
swept it through her black hair, being careful not to look into her dark eyes.
They were too much like her father’s though his eyes had been dulled by sadness
these past few days. She slammed the brush down.

‘Damn, David. And damn, Posy. Perhaps
now he’s gone she’ll
go too and things will get back to normal. We don’t need her. She’s useless,
even her name’s useless, Posy,
what kind of a name’s that?’

Nancy threw herself onto the bed.
By the time her father came in to see her it was getting dark. She sat up and
switched on the lamp. The light accentuated the shadows under his cheekbones
and sunken eyes. He took hold of her hand.

‘You alright Nance?’

She shrugged.

He pulled her to him as he had
when she was small and she allowed him to cuddle her. ‘Thank God you’re safe.
Poor, poor Posy. I feel so helpless. If only there was something I could do.’

‘You want him back that much?’

The words slipped out before she
could stop them. Her father took hold of her arms easing her away from him to
look into her face.

‘Nancy, how can you ask that?
He’s your brother.’

Her anger, always close to the
surface these days, boiled over. ‘I don’t have a brother.’

‘I don’t believe I’m hearing
this,’ her father said. ‘David is part of this family now and yes, I want him
home.’

She hung her head and fought to
control the tears. Her father pulled her to him and stroked her hair. ‘It’s
okay, sweetie. Deep down I know you love him as much as Posy and I do.’

Nancy gritted her teeth at the
sound of her stepmother’s shrill voice.

Her father stood up. ‘Get some
sleep, honey.’ The door closed behind him.

She pushed her fists into her
temples then smacked them down onto the bed, ‘Damn it. I’m going to have to go
bring him back.’

When Nancy was sure both her
father and Posy were sleeping she slid, fully clothed, out of bed and sat
cross-legged on the floor. Placing a small flat stone in front of her she
rested her hand on it. Closing her eyes, she brought the image of her guide,
Nukka, into her mind. A familiar ripple disturbed the air and a cool breeze
swept over her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked straight into the
blue-grey eyes of a wolf.

‘Nukka.’

She stood, stepped off the crossing
stone and bowed formally to Nukka .

Nancy. I have been expecting you.

She was surprised; in all the
time she had been coming to Between-World, Nukka had never said he had been waiting
for her. Though as always Nukka had spoken directly into her mind Nancy used
her voice to reply.

‘You have? Why?’

A member of your pack is lost, he needs you.

Was that a note of rebuke? ‘He is
not my… my brother. What’s more it’s his own fault he’s lost. He shouldn’t have
followed me. Then, to cap it all, when he did get here he rejected his guide
and went off on his own.’

He’s a member of your pack and he needs you, Nukka
repeated

Nancy pushed down her annoyance.
It was pointless being angry with Nukka. She sighed, dusted off the seat of her
jeans and looked around. They stood near the top of a hill in early morning
sunshine. The forest spread below and around them as if they were on an island
in a sea of green. ‘Where do we start?’

David is in the forest to the north. Amka is watching him but
as he has rejected her she can’t help him.

‘The stupid…. Okay, let’s get
this over with.’

Nukka lead the way into the
forest. The path was broken and dangerous and progress was slow. She felt Nukka’s
concern.

‘What’s wrong?’

Amka tells me something is stalking David. She’s afraid for
him.

‘Stalking him? What’s stalking
him?’

Her mind holds no clear picture of what it is. We must run.

Nancy’s heart clanged against her
ribs. ‘By run you mean…?’

Nukka stopped and looked back at
her. You must Change.’

‘Damn and double damn. I swore I
would never Change after that first time and now because of him…’

Decide! Nukka commanded.

Her shoulders sagged ‘Okay.’

Remember what I taught you. Nukka said. Reach out with your mind, touch my
spirit, let it become one with your own and don’t fight the Change.

Nancy took a shaky breath and mentally
reached out as Nukka instructed her. She felt her humanity slipping away and
forced herself to stay calm. It’s
just for a while, she told herself. Just until we find David. She became aware of the
scents on the breeze, the noise of small creatures scuttling under leaves and
she could feel the earth beneath her four paws. She opened her eyes and
experimentally flexed muscles she had not had moments before.

Now, follow, she heard as Nukka streaked past
her.

Nancy followed. The ground
blurred beneath her feet. Trees whipped past. She leapt fallen trunks and deep
ravines. The thrill of speed and pleasure at her surefootedness dissolved her
fears. The smell and sounds of the forest excited her and invited investigation.
Why have I denied myself this for
so long? she wondered.

Fear. Nukka’s voice was loud now she shared the
wolf’s nature.

Yes, Nancy thought, Nukka was right; it was fear
of change. Not wanting to move from what was familiar and safe to what was
different and unknown. That’s why they were in this mess.

Nukka stopped and crouched low.

Amka is here, he said.

Nancy focused her mind on her
father and their shared love. With a pang of loss she felt her connection to
Nukka lessen and her senses dull as she returned to her human form.

‘Where?’

Nukka looked up and a magpie flew
down to join them. Her black and white plumage shone in startling contrast to
the browns and greens of the forest. Nancy nodded her respect. The magpie’s
light crisp voice cut into her thoughts and she winced at its strangeness.

David is north of here. He still refuses to see me, refuses
to hear me. He must leave. Quickly.

Before Nancy could answer Amka
flew off and Nukka followed. Nancy trudged along behind feeling clumsy now she
was back on two legs. Within minutes they reached a shallow ravine. Brambles
and small bushes grew on its sides and a thin trickle of water fought its way
along the bottom. David sat on a boulder close to the water picking something
from the palm of his hand and pushing it into his mouth.

At twelve, David was two years
younger than Nancy yet he was both bigger and stronger. She had often consoled
herself that no-one could mistake them for brother and sister. He was large,
round and pink, she slight and dark. Pale blue eyes glared at her defiantly,
but as she moved closer she saw tear stains on his cheeks.

‘I’m taking you home.’

David stood up and threw the
remaining berries at her. ‘I don’t need you to take me home. Besides you’ve made
it obvious you don’t want me around so why pretend you do?’

‘Listen to me you little…’ She
took a breath and tried again, ‘Amka says…’

‘Amka? You still going on about
that stupid bird? I told you I don’t want no useless guide. I bet you’ve got
Nukka up there watching out for you. Frightened you’ll get lost without him or
something?’

‘Yes, as a matter of…’ with a
sudden flash of insight Nancy realized what this was about. ‘This is because
you don’t think she’s good enough for you isn’t it? Because Nukka is a wolf you
think Amka is inferior in some way.’

David glared. ‘I told you, I’m
okay on my own.’

‘Oh yeah? Well how come you haven’t
been home? How come Posy is crying her eyes out and dad is worried sick about
you? You’re right, I don’t want you around, but for some reason they do and
they are driving me mad.’

‘I’ll come back when I’m ready.’

Nancy held her arms out and spun
around taking in their surroundings. ‘David, look about you, this isn’t Waverly
Wood you know. It’s not just a case of wandering until you get to the edge then
yelling for your mummy. There are all kinds of…’

Nancy heard Nukka's silent
warning. She ducked and a rock sailed over her head.

‘Get lost. I’ve told you I don’t
want no help.’

Nancy stood up barely resisting
the urge to leave. ‘Amka says something is coming that is dangerous to you. She
says you have to leave here. Now. Unless you think you can drive it off by
throwing stones?’ She waited. ‘Well? Do you?’ she demanded.

At last she saw a flicker of
concern in his eyes.

‘What ‘something’ is coming?’

‘It’s too far away for Nukka to
know what it is and Amka isn’t able to explain, but she’s in a terrible state.’

‘She’s here?’

‘She never left you. She’s with
Nukka. Will you at least go up to them?’

David’s eyes swept the ravine nervously
and he nodded.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nancy
led the way back up the slope. Amka was flitting from branch to branch in her
agitation.

‘Where is it?’ David asked.

‘Where’s what?’

‘The bird.’

‘She’s right there,’ Nancy said,
puzzled.

David’s eyes narrowed in
suspicion. ‘You’re lying, there is no bird.’

‘But…’

The magpie’s voice cut into her
head again. He can’t see me,
he has rejected me. Lead him away from here, quickly.

‘Amka says we have to go.’

‘There is no Amka, you’re lying.
You’re trying to trick me.’

‘For heaven’s sake, why would I
do that?’

Nukka crouched low to the ground baring
his teeth and glaring at David. A growl rumbled in his throat. David backed
away.

‘We have to leave, now,’ Nancy
explained.

From below them came shrill
screeches, the sound of twigs snapping and stones being overturned. Nancy
realized that whatever was after David was now in the ravine.